INTERVIEW: New Dell MD unveils ambitious end-to-end strategy

Dell's new A/NZ managing director, Angela Fox, has unveiled an ambitious end-to-end strategy as she attempts to reshape a large part of the Australian operations into a channel-oriented services company.

Fox, a New Zealander who grew up in a country town at the base of the Corimandel Peninsula, replaced long serving managing director, Joe Kremer, in June, after heading up the company's services business in Asia Pacific and Japan.

She joins a distinguished list of female leaders of large tech companies in Australia, which includes Microsoft's Pip Marlow, Google's Maile Carnegie, Intel's Kate Burleigh and Twitter's Karen Stocks.

The appointment comes as the newly privatised company shifts its focus towards software, services and Cloud.

Fox told ARN Dell had made a significant number of acquisitions recently in the area of software, which had built a multi-billion dollar business.

"Around 50 per cent of the workforce are service professionals, so it gives you a sense of the capability and breadth we have been making with our investments," she said.

"I want to take us from the strength that we already have in market, and just continue to build on our success in providing those end-to-end solutions.

"We are seeing more and more examples of competitive offerings in the areas of software and services and we are really looking for the opportunities where we can take customers, where we are an incumbent today perhaps, from an infrastructure perspective, and make sure we are adding further value through a broader solution."

She said it was about building on the strength that is the A/NZ business and taking it to the next level.

"Continuing to evolve our capability in areas like Cloud to take advantage of the shifting dynamics of the market," she said.

"I think the key message I would like to leave you with is that a lot of what I am really focused on doing with the team is evangelising to the market, to customers, to prospects the fact that building from our core competency as an infrastructure provider, we really do have that end-to-end capability.

On October 15, the company announced two new datacentre locations in Sydney and Melbourne, through a partnership with datacentre operator, Digital Realty.

This was flanked by a partnership with local Cloud solutions firm 6YS, which will enable Dell to offer Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Software-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service.

With 2,000 partner across A/NZ, Murphy said it was one of the fastest growing parts of the business.

"We have taken geographies like Tasmania to an exclusively indirect route to market, where we are working with partners who really have invested in terms of scaling up from a Dell solutions perspective," he said.

"The key message is we are very oriented around the channel and it's one of the fastest growing parts of our business."

Although Fox had barely got her feet wet in the top job, she was keen to promote a culture of inclusion.

"In roles like this you are judged on you results, results are important, but I see results are a byproduct of having great people that actually engage with your customers and prospects," she said.

"I think the reality is there is a responsibility which comes with the profile of being a senior female leader to find a way to give back, particularly focused on gender diversity within the market, but also in a broader context.

"For me it's not just gender diversity, but diversity and inclusion. It's about creating culture where differences of opinion are actually valued.

"You're setting up a culture that actually values people having confidence to bring forward their thoughts.

"I think that springs off into innovation and how you get the best out of your people around the entrepreneurial aspect. I think that's alive and well in our organisation."

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